Webasto-werk W. Baier Gmbh & Co.

Webasto Ag Fahrzeugtechnik

Richard Igel

Alfons Lutz

Hans Jardin

Horst Bienert

August Hirschberger

Bernd Schleicher

Wolfgang Vogel

Arpad Furst

Walter Schaetzler

Kurt Meier

Johann Rengstl

Klaus-Peter Srdinko

Bernhard Schleicher

A sliding type vehicle roof is provided having guide tubes for pressure-resistant drive cables that are positioned, in the zone of contact area between the drive cables and a drive device, in a sheathing part that is formed about the guide tubes and acts as a holding device for the guide tubes. In the sheathing part, there is provided at least one recess to accommodate a drive pinion of the drive device, and a central opening in the base of the recess for accurately locating the drive pinion. Further, the sheathing part functions as a support for the drive device, that is suitably attached to the sheathing part with the aid of screws, and a defined seat can be provided on the sheathing part to receive the top housing part of the drive device. The sheathing part with the drive thereon can be attached to the frame, which can be set into a roof opening of a vehicle roof.

Roof and frame assembly for a motor vehicle and method of forming same

Sliding and lifting roof for vehicles, having a cover, which in its closed position closes a roof opening, which cover is guided on guide tracks parallel to the side edges of the roof opening, connected with an actuating member by way of a lifting mechanism which is adjustable in a direction relative to the displacement of the cover, and which can be raised above the fixed roof surface by displacing the actuating member, or can be slidably displaced after lowering below the fixed roof surface. The lifting mechanism has a sliding retaining bracket and a lifting lever, that are relatively displaceable by the actuating member. The lifting lever, at one end, is connected with the cover and at an opposite end is pivotably supported about a shaft and is longitudinally and slidably guided by a limited distance in the direction of cover displacement, with respect to the sliding retaining bracket. Furtermore, the sliding retaining bracket has an elongated cam surface and an elongated guide track that define a fixed path of movement for the lifting lever in conjunction with follower rollers carried by the lifting lever which travel along the length of the cam surface and guide track, the cam surface and guide track being provided, at least in part, along the length of a finger-shaped bracket element of the retaining bracket.

Sliding and lifting roof

A sliding and lifting roof for vehicles with a rigid cover that is guided by way of forward and rear guide sleds on guide rails and is tiltable around an axis running transversely to the sliding direction has a locking arrangement for preventing sliding of the cover during tilting thereof. This locking arrangement includes at least one of the guide rails being provided with a recess into which a resiliently pretensed, swivelable locking lever engages except when the cover is fully lowered to its sliding position. The locking lever is articulated to the forward guide sled and is swivelable to a released position by contact with the lowered cover or an adjusting member participating in the lowering movement of the cover. In its released position the locking lever is out of engagement with the respectively guide rail.

Sliding and lifting roof with a locking lever

Vehicle roof with a roof opening that can be closed by a sliding cover, a framework surrounding the roof opening at least at the front and on the sides that forms a framed opening underneath the roof opening and a water channel that is defined by a protuberance in the framework, and with a wind deflector running parallel to the front edge of the roof opening. The wind deflector is held by at least one hinge located on the protuberance in the framework and can be swung out by spring power when the cover is pushed back and swung in when the cover is closed. The wind deflector, over substantially its full length, has an element with a first arm that is inclined upward and forward at an oblique angle in the swung-out position and a second arm that is angled down from its front end. The shaft of the hinge is located close to the rear end of the first arm. A part fastened permanently to the cover comes up against the top of the first arm of the wind deflector to swing the wind deflector. A portion of the deflector that is located where the first and second arms meet and that projects above the first arm and is shaped for producing a favorable air flow over the wind deflector. A shackle is attached via a notch-mount bearing eye to the wind deflector and is engaged on a forwardly directed projection of a bearing block of the hinge.

Vehicle roof installation with a wind deflector

A tilt-out roof for vehicles having a closure panel arranged in the area of an opening in the roof of the vehicle. A frame extends around the edge of the opening in the roof, and a telescopic jack, that is used for the lifting and lowering of the rear part of the cover, is connected to the frame, on the one hand, and to the closure panel, on the other hand. The telescopic jack has several threaded parts that engage with one another, one of which is connected with a turning handle. The turning handle has a rotary plate that establishes the connection with one threaded part and closes the telescopic jack toward the bottom, and a separate handle rim that is detachably connected with the rotary plate. The rotary plate acts to hold the threaded parts of the jack in a predetermined relationship with respect to one another when the handle rim is detached.

Tilt-out roof for vehicles

A vehicle roof provided with an opening closable by a cover and a frame of substantially U-shaped cross section extending along the edge of the roof opening. One side of the substantially U-shaped frame is higher than the other side thereof, and the higher side extends outside of the vehicle in the form of a flange for covering the edge of the vehicle roof defining the opening. A clamping arrangement for pressing the flange against the outer surface of the roof is provided, near the higher side, inside of the vehicle. To facilitate the installation of such a vehicle cover, especially in the case of a used vehicle, the clamping arrangement comprises a plurality of retaining plates which are pressed against the vehicle roof by screws. When the screws have been loosened, the retaining plates can be pivoted so that the frame can be introduced from outside of the vehicle into the roof opening without removing the retaining plates and screws.

Vehicle roof closure panel assembly having pivotable retainer plates

A roof panel assembly for vehicles, particularly for retrofitting in vehicles. The roof panel assembly features a lift-up cover which covers an opening in the roof, a frame surrounding the edge of the roof opening and lifting device connected, on the one hand, to the frame, and, on the other, to the cover, for raising and lowering the rear of the cover panel. To allow a simple change from one type of lifting device to another, the lifting devices are each installable on one of a number of mounting plates, which may be selectively and interchangeably attached to the frame in an easily replaceable manner.

Liftable roof panel assembly

A vehicle roof with a roof opening and a removable cover for closing the opening of the type wherein the cover is attachable to a roof frame in the vicinity of its forward edge by means of a releasable swivel connection about an axis running at right angles to a lengthwise axis of the vehicle roof and having a rear edge pivotable out of the roof plane, upward and outward, by means of a tilting device that is releasable from the cover is improved by the provision of a safety device for releasing the tilting device from the cover only when the cover is in its closed position. In accordance with a preferred embodiment the safety device includes an unlocking element for releasing the tilting device from the cover which is constructed in the range so as only to be accessible when the cover is closed. In the closed position the unlocking element can be operated by means of a coin or like object so as to be shifted from an engaged or disengaged position.

Vehicle roof with a roof opening closable by a cover

A drive arrangement for opening and closing a cover for an aperture in a vehicle roof via an electric motor acting upon an incompressible cable via an intermediate drive and drive pinion. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the electric motor is substitutable for a crank operated drive while avoiding limited available space associated problems by disposing an intermediate drive in a drive housing to which the electric motor is flanged to form a module which has the shape of a V as viewed from above, one leg of said V being formed by the electric motor and being disposed at right angles to the lengthwise axis of the vehicle, and the other leg of the V containing the intermediate drive and drive pinion.

Vehicle roof

An improved locking arrangement for a vehicle body member with an opening, a tiltable and removable cover for closing the opening which is swivelable in the vicinity of a front edge and has a tilting mechanism near its rear edge and connected with the cover is formed by first locking elements which are so disposed and designed that they are releasable only from inside the vehicle, even when the cover is tilted, and second locking elements which are releasable only from the outside of the vehicle when the cover is tilted. According to a preferred embodiment, the first locking elements are provided laterally next to the tilting mechanism on both sides thereof and are shielded by walls both laterally and below, while a preferred arrangement for the second locking elements includes a hook engageable with a locking surface which is so disposed that the hook latches rearward of the first locking elements.

Growing community of inventors

Germering, Germany

Richard Igel